Reps. Cammack & Steube reintroduce the ACCESS Act
Press release from U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Representatives Kat Cammack and Greg Steube reintroduced their plan to expand access to Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) for five million lower-income Americans.
The Affordable Care and Comprehensive Economic Support through Savings Act (ACCESS Act) empowers individuals by giving them the option to receive direct contributions to an HSA instead of relying on reduced cost-sharing under government-controlled health insurance exchanges. This commonsense reform removes bureaucratic restrictions imposed by the ACA, allowing individuals to take control of their health care dollars and use them as they see fit.
“Access to affordable care has diminished over the past decade, as the prices of medical care have skyrocketed and provider networks have shrunk,” said Rep. Cammack. “But with money in an HSA, you can obtain the personalized services you need and see the doctors you trust, even if they’re not covered by your health insurance plan. For working families in my district and across the country this option is a lifesaver and will give many the flexibility to afford visits and procedures they may not be able to otherwise. I am proud to introduce the ACCESS Act today for many reasons, but mostly because it provides more access and more freedom for families whose health care needs aren’t being met by government-controlled healthcare programs.”
“The ACCESS Act is a straightforward solution to lower healthcare costs and expand access for the millions of lower-income families struggling under rising inflation and medical expenses,” said Rep. Steube. “This bill puts patients in control by offering a personal healthcare option that increases access to affordable treatments, trusted doctors, and essential therapies through tax-free, directly funded health savings accounts. At the same time, it streamlines existing health subsidies, saving taxpayers tens of billions of dollars. Conservative, results-driven reforms like this are what Americans can expect from Republicans in Washington.”
“We are excited to endorse the ACCESS Act because it would expand access to high-quality medical care for millions of lower-income Americans without costing taxpayers a dime. Armed with a pre-funded health savings account they own and control, these patients will have more access to timely care from doctors they trust, including services and doctors their insurance doesn’t cover. And they’ll also have stronger incentives to shop for value and to take more personal responsibility for their health. All of which adds up to greater peace of mind. Congratulations to Congressman Steube and Congresswoman Cammack for coming up with a smart, fiscally responsible way to give vulnerable Americans a Personal Option—hassle-free health care you can afford,” said Dean Clancy, an Americans for Prosperity Senior Health Policy Fellow.
Read the text of the legislation here.
Should be introducing Bills that are based on Trump’s Executive Orders.
There’s a difference between affordable healthcare and cheap healthcare.
What is Kat Cammack going to do about the Trump/Musk Administration’s plans to siphon off NIH funding for research? Is she aware that her constituents will be significantly impacted when the UF research enterprise shuts down with no research funding?
She’ll do what the rest of our weak elected officials are doing – she’ll sit in silence, afraid to speak out because of the angry MAGA backlash against anyone who pushes back against the Orange Jesus.
Oh Geez! I guess UF should stick to legitimate research and not research that can result in killing Americans, and used as a Biological Weapon against the World!
Go have Se$ with Fauci!
Kat’s great. She cares about all of her people, but she has the tough task of prioritizing who to help with her efforts.
I don’t blame her for focusing on the needy, especially after so many of her people were devastated by the storms last year. I do hope she addresses this issue and makes sure everyone’s voices are heard.
The “needy” ain’t starting any “health care savings plans”. What a fantasy.
Exactly! And that is common sense.
I’m with Jazzman on this one.
The strange Jane has no idea what’s going on with that research money but attacks Kat. How weird.
Sure, all that research money and the US is ….. well, it is still the leading country for health care research and new procedures that work are developed consistently.
I had 3 life challenging incidents 12 years ago and today am still alive, 2 of the 3 are no longer problems, and the 3rd is managed so that I am fully as active as I want to be. They were all treated at Shands
Waaaaaa. Seek help for your TDS. They are still working on a vaccine for your Musk Derangement Syndrome.
“A health savings account (HSA) is essentially a personal savings account that can be used only for qualifying medical expenses. To be eligible, you must be enrolled in a high-deductible health plan (HDHP)….
Contributions to an HSA are made with pretax dollars. This means that you won’t pay income tax on the money that you put directly into your HSA. On the other hand, the money that you put into your HSA is expensive to access once it’s already in the account unless it is used properly.
You must also meet the eligibility standards set by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). An eligible individual is someone who:
Has a qualified HDHP
Has no other health coverage
Is not enrolled in Medicare
Is not claimed as a dependent on someone else’s tax return.”
https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/090814/pros-and-cons-health-savings-account-hsa.asp
Yeah, that government run Medicare and Obamacare are too expensive. I’ve had 2 lower level employees who never had a regular doctor and some serious health issues who enrolled in Obamacare and it was excellent coverage and cost them about $60 a month. How far do you think that would have gone in a “high deductible” health savings account.
“…the prices of medical care have skyrocketed…” What’s the right solution?
1. Don’t charge taxes on the overpriced medical care
2. Lower the cost of medical care publishing actual provider costs and removing red tape
Medical care isn’t taxed to the best of my knowledge.
No, but your income (which you need to have to pay for your medical care) is, which is the point of the article. I could have phrased better but thought it was obvious.
We are the most expensive country for health care in the world, and while we have excellent care in some areas, we are not that good in others, and patient satisfaction is not high (i.e, wait times, expense, etc). In other words we are not getting what we pay for. While people who can afford it come here for specialty treatments, many Americans travel abroad for care they can afford.
The rest of the developed world provides universal coverage for less money and through a variety of ways, usually involving a combination of private and government insurance. The one thing they all do is negotiate and fix prices universally, much as our Medicare does.